Stairway to Victory
by TheMysticWanderer
Summary: YuGiOh GX story of a boy who has a nasty habit of getting into a little too much trouble with Duel Monsters. Chapter 4 is good to go!
1. Chapter 1: First Semester Scare

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. I don't own YuGiOh. Otherwise I'd laugh.

Stairway to Victory

Chapter 1: First Semester Scare

By: The Mystic Wanderer

"Josiah! Josiah Agan! Please report to the dueling arena to begin your Duelist Academy entrance exam!" rang a voice over the intercom, booming over the voices of non-students and students alike. A boy ran down the stairs with much haste, nearly tripping over his own feet a couple of times as he made his way to the designated duel area. The door to the arena opened, and the boy stepped inside, brushing himself off and checking his deck to make sure it was okay.

Josiah was a boy of simple stature, standing about five feet tall at the age of 16. His skin was a simple peach color, but the deep reddish-dark brown hair hinted of Irish descent. His hair wasn't in any particular style, just tossed around and dangling just a little bit above his eyes, which were a dull blue. He wore a simple, red, long-sleeved shirt with black stripes along the arms, a duel disk attached to his right wrist. Add a pair of blue jeans and some old, white, worn-out sneakers, and you completed his look.

Josiah looked around a bit, eyeing his teacher with interest; he was wearing something much different than the other instructors, clad in a uniform of deep gold with silver lining instead of their deep blue suits. He was about to ask why, when the man, who was, at a guess, about sixty or so, raised his own duel disk.

"My name is Argan Densk, but you'll refer to me as Professor Densk. I am the head of Ra, Executive Chairman of Techniques, and have been specifically ordered to be your Dueling Proctor. Be forewarned; I'm using my own deck. However, regardless of your win or loss, you will be admitted to Duelist Academy on orders from the Headmaster."

His voice was sent all over the arena, and this shocking revelation of automatic admission regardless of victory or loss sent whispers gamboling amidst the students.

Josiah grinned brightly, and then spoke up: "That's no fun. If I lose, I'll need to work on my dueling skills, and will bow out of this Academy gracefully. If I win, I'll stay. Of course, my chances of winning against you are slim, Professor Densk… but this is something I just can't let slip by!"

Another myriad of whispers floated along the crowd for a moment, then everything went silent, excluding the sounds of the other non-students being tested, which were being silenced so only they could hear. The Professor raised his arm, Duel Disk slipping into position, a grin appearing under his trimmed mustache.

"So be it. Let's duel!"

Josiah: 4000

Densk: 4000

Both Duelists drew five cards from their Duel Disks, then Josiah drew a sixth before a choice had been made on which one of them would go first. The Professor smirked, but said nothing, merely waiting for the boy's move.

"Sorry 'bout that, nasty habit of taking initiative… I'll lead with Legendary Hero - Bowman, in attack mode!" said Josiah, slapping a card onto his disk.

A man appeared on Josiah's side of the field, clad in a jean vest, sleeveless black shirt, and a pair of black pants with a holster on the side. A white bandanna was tied around his head, forcing his brown hair down flat. The man reached down to the side of his pants and pulled his black pistol out of the pistol, spinning it about. (1200/1000)

"I'll set a card face-down, then equip Bowman with the magic card Weapon Orb #1, which raises his attack by 300 points!"

Josiah slid two cards into his Duel Disk, a face-down card coming into view. The other card that appeared face-up had a picture of a shining white orb with the very same pistol Bowman was holding on it. Josiah's monster's free hand shone with white light, then a new pistol appeared in it, only glowing. (1500/1000)

"I end my turn, Professor."

Densk smiled, drawing a card from his disk and setting it into his hand. "Interesting. Were you hoping I'd attack? Based on your cards, which seemed to be of the Legendary Heroes and Evils variety, a unique set… that face-down card is more than likely either Ryn's Curse or Resistance Force."

Josiah did his absolute best to hide his shocked face; he had indeed set Resistance Force face-down, and this guy picked it out. The Professor couldn't help but chuckle a bit, taking a card from his hand and setting it down onto his disk.

"Don't worry, child. I'm experienced. So.. I'll just have to play Aged Master - Ro in attack mode!"

A shimmering light brought forth an old, weathered man, balding heavily and dressed in deep black garb like the ancient kung-fu masters wore. He bowed heavily in the direction of Josiah's monster, then adopted a fighting stance similar to that of crane style. (1700/1500)

"My Master's ability is useful, to say the least. All I need do is discard two cards from my hand on my turn to destroy any one magic or trap card on the field. So I'll activate it to destroy your face-down card."

The Professor slid two cards into his graveyard, and his monster reverted to a standing position, clapping it's hands together and whispering inaudibly. A blue aura suddenly appeared around the man, and he thrust his hands outward, a stream of Chinese characters forming from the aura and rushing across the field to the face-down card, obliterating it.

"Then, I'll have to end my turn, since I'm also aware of Weapon Orb #1's effect to let you take any equip magic card from your deck once it's destroyed. I'll deal with that later, so I'll just have to set a card face-down and end my turn."

Josiah drew another card, trying to remain as calm and collected as possible. He cast his gaze over to Densk's monster, then an idea popped into his head. He smiled inwardly and took two cards from his hand, sliding them into his duel disk. He was just about to activate one of them when the Professor spoke up: "You've got to think outside of the box, dear boy. You're obviously going to use Emperor's Might or Zonestar Lore."

Once again, Josiah was absolutely boggled at the Professor's knowledge of his dueling strategy. The two cards he had placed were Book of Time and Zonestar Lore; how Densk knew one of them was beyond him. Still, he managed a smile, and pressed a button on his Duel Disk. "You're right about the cards, Professor. Geez, you're the most challenging opponent I've ever dueled. I'll activate Zonestar Lore, which I'm sure you know the effect of."

"It allows us to both take one level 5 or lower spellcaster from our deck and summon it to the field in face-up defense position. And let me make a guess… you're going to summon Legendary Hero - Heather? In that case, I'll have to summon Western Mage - Straybow!"

The monster that appeared on Josiah's side of the field was a girl, draped in fantastic white robes with a staff in hand, golden hair dancing about her face. She was kneeling down, her arms crossed, eyes closed, smiling brightly. (800/1000)

On the other hand, the monster on the Professor's side of the field looked to be a cocky mage, wearing bright blue robes which clashed horribly with his scarlet cape, a birch rod with a crystal ball at the end in his hand. He was standing, but his arms were crossed, signaling defense. (1800/2000)

"You know about my Legendary Hero - Heather's effect, which destroys all face-up effect monsters when she's sent to the graveyard from the field! So, I'll activate the ritual card Book of Time, and send my Bowman and Heather to the graveyard for a total of nine stars! Say goodbye to your two monsters, while I say hello to a free equip card!"

As the girl disappeared from Josiah's side of the field, she swung her staff, releasing a wave of energy which sliced through the Professor's monsters. However, only Aged Master - Ro shattered into digital data, whereas Straybow had his wand arm up, and had conjured a shining, translucent shield to protect himself.

"Silly boy. Straybow's power protects him from destruction via other effect monsters. That's why I chose him… and I'm guessing you didn't have a chance to study up on the Ancient Warriors cards before your exam?" joked Densk, grinning widely.

"Hmph. I'll use my sacrifices to summon Legendary Hero - Gem Father in attack mode! His first effect allows me to immediately play the field magic card Gem Palace from my deck, hand, or graveyard!" said Josiah in a raised voice, now becoming agitated.

A white aura appeared on the field, then swirled together, a thick, leatherbound book forming from the aura. The aura magnified, then took the shape of a human, then there was a bright flash and Josiah's monster had taken form. It was a man with a short brown beard and a head full of hair, dressed in immaculate white robes that shone with his power. His eyes had no pupils; they were pure white. A hand from the man shot out and grabbed his book, then he began to flip through it idly. (3000/3000)

The Professor couldn't help but smile again. "Activate trap card, Amakusa's Spirit Trap!" The man pressed a button on his duel disk, which revealed his face down card, which had the picture of a painted festival lantern on it. "This helpful card will negate the activation of ALL the effects from one monster on the field, which in this case, is your Gem Father! I can't have you using his second effect to return cards from your graveyard to your hand at five hundred life points a card."

Josiah's monster looked up as a bright red lantern descended upon it, drawing a bright blue orb from within the monster's chest and locking it inside the lantern, which shifted over to the Professor's side soon after. This caused Josiah to frown; it was now dawning upon him that his cockiness had gotten the best of him, since this opponent was far beyond him.

"Whatever! I'll have my Gem Father attack your Straybow!" was the agitated response, Josiah pointing to the defending mage. Gem Father closed his book and raised a hand; nothing happened for a moment, then Straybow exploded in rays of rainbow light. Densk shook his head and shrugged.

"I'll lose five hundred life points from Straybow's unfortunate second ability. A noble sacrifice."

Josiah: 4000

Densk: 3500

"I'll then activate the magic card Card of Sanctity! Let's both draw to six cards, Professor. Sadly, I draw five, and you only draw four." Josiah said, his words dripping with hidden anger.

"That's much too helpful of you, Josiah."

Both duelists drew their respective amounts of cards, and Josiah finally felt a pang of hope. He took three of his cards and slid them into his duel disk, grinning brightly. "Care to take a guess at what these are, Professor?"

Densk's brow furrowed for a second, then the aged man smiled. "I can't tell. You've got me stumped on this one." Josiah balled his free hand into a fist and grinned even wider, holding back a laugh.

"Slipping a bit? You'll need to shape up if you want to keep your life points. I end my turn!"

The Professor drew a card into his hand, then slid a pair of cards into his Duel disk. "I'll first activate the magic card Heavy Storm! Let's remove all these pesky magic and traps from the field."

"Heh. I predicted that you'd do something like that, so I prepared a little something just in case! Activate trap card, Oceania's Storm Barrier! This card protects my trap and magic cards for one turn, at the cost of one thousand life points." said Josiah, pressing a button on his Duel Disk as the Heavy Storm whipped itself up. A bright blue shield sprang up from his trap card, covering his trap and magic zone as the storm raged across the field, destroying Densk's face-down card and his face-up Amakusa's Spirit Trap.

Josiah: 3000

Densk: 3500

"Aha. Since my face-down card was a nasty little number referred to as Odio's Cry, it'll eliminate all monsters on the field when it's destroyed, and deduct life points from each duelist equal to half the power of their destroyed monsters." muttered the Professor, gesturing to Josiah's Gem Father. A deep cry bellowed across the field, then an eruption of dark purple energy cast the entire arena in shadow for a moment. When it faded, Josiah's Legendary Hero was nowhere to be found.

Josiah: 1500

Densk: 3500

"Now, I'll activate the magic card Luuluu Dance, which doubles your life points and protects them for one turn, but allows me to summon a monster from my hand at no cost. So, come to me, Shinsanken Master - Lei Kuugo!"

A single Chinese character appeared in bright white on Densk's side of the field, then it rippled as if it were a barrier, from which came a girl dressed in a bright red, Chinese-style dress, her brown hair done in a ponytail which dangled down to the small of her back. She clapped her hands once, then moved into a fighting position. (2500/2500)

Josiah: 3000

Densk: 3500

"I'll set one card face-down and end my turn, since Luuluu Dance is preventing me from attacking."

Josiah drew a card and pressed two buttons on his Duel Disk. "Activate card combo! Zonestar Heritage and Ascension Ceremony! Now be a dear, Professor, and tell me what these do!"

Professor Densk looked rather shocked for a moment, then quickly regained his composure and nodded. "As you wish. Zonestar Heritage allows you to summon Legendary Hero - Joseph from your hand or deck for the cost of one thousand life points. Ascension Ceremony upgrades your Legendary Hero - Joseph into Destiny Guardian - Joseph for three thousand life points. Tell me, Josiah… how to you hope to pull this off when doing it will cost you the duel?"

Josiah grinned. "You've really let go, Professor Densk. The second my life points hit zero, you'll see what I mean." The boy grabbed the card that slid out of his deck, and set it on the field, a black-haired boy in mottled-gray robes appearing, drawing a golden staff out of nowhere and swinging it about with a smile. (1600/1900)

"That means… you have Peter's Final Stand in your hand, am I correct? The card that raises your life points to one above zero until the end of your next turn, and can be activated from your hand?" queried the Professor.

Josiah nodded, moving his Legendary Hero - Joseph to the discard pile and pulling a card from his deck, setting it in the exact same position. The same boy returned, only this time, he seemed a little taller, and wore bright ivory chest plate over his robes. His staff was now pure white with an amazing gem atop it, and the boy's aura rippled with power. (3100/3500)

"I activate the magic card Peter's Last Stand! As per it's effect, I won't lose the duel until the end of my next turn, at which point my life points will drop to negative one thousand or more, if you attack." yelled Josiah, sliding a card into his duel disk.

Josiah: 1

Densk: 3500

"I activate Destiny Guardian - Joseph's special ability to instantly destroy every card on your side of the field when he's summoned!" said Josiah, clenching his fist tightly.

"Then I'll have to activate the trap card Odio's Gateway! This'll remove my monster from play until the end of your turn, young man."

A rather large, demonic looking door appeared behind Densk's Shinsanken Master, then it flew open, revealing a large, blue portal, his monster retreating into it before Josiah's monster raised it's staff, sending a single wave of light over his side of the field, destroying the gate.

"Hmph. I'll have my Destiny Guardian attack you directly, and thanks to another special ability of his, I gain life points equal to the amount you lose!" cackled Josiah, pointing at Densk threateningly.

The boy monster raised it's staff again, a ball of light appearing at the tip before shooting outwards as a beam, piercing past the Professor's Duel Disk and sending him back a few steps. Even with all the commotion, Josiah could hear the 'oohs' and 'aahs' of the students who were watching, and he couldn't help but grin himself.

Josiah: 3101

Densk: 400

"Well played, Josiah. But remember, at the end of your turn, my Shinsanken Master will return, seeking vengeance. I guarantee my victory on the turn following my next." said the Professor, smiling cheerily.

Josiah blinked, then shrugged. "Fine then, show me what you've got!"

End of Chapter 1. Interesting, ne?

My head's about to explode. I'll write Chapter 2 later, or something. I'm notorious for changing subjects.


	2. Chapter 2: Concluded and Assessed

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. I don't own YuGiOh. Otherwise I'd laugh. I also don't own Live-A-Live, the basis for Densk's deck. I do, however, lay claim to the cards Josiah uses. Well, most of them.

Stairway to Victory

Chapter 2: Concluded and Assessed

By: The Mystic Wanderer

* * *

Josiah: 3101

Densk: 400

The Professor drew a card into his hand, and gestured to his side of the field as a large purple portal appeared. "Now that it's my turn, my Shinsanken Master returns to the field!" he shouted as the same monster as before came through the portal and returned to her original fighting position. Densk then slid a card into his Duel Disk, and a card slid out of his graveyard.

"I activate Monster Reborn! I choose to revive my Aged Master - Ro in attack mode!"

Densk set the monster card on his disk, and the old man in the black dojo garb from his first turn appeared next to his Shinsanken Master, both of them sparring for a second before striking poses side by side. The Professor grinned, then slid a card into his disk with a small laugh.

"I play Polymerization to fuse my Shinsanken Master and Aged Master together to summon…" Both martial artists on Densk's side of the field went back to sparring for a moment, then hit their fists together with a burst of bright light as they were fused. What remained was the girl, only her garb had changed to bright golden, and a pair of silver Nunchaku hung from the sash around her hips. "My True Master - Lei Kuugo!" (3800/3000)

"And her special effect is a doozy, my young fellow. She immediately destroys all cards on the field when summoned, and grants one thousand life points forthe card to the player on the opposite side of the field. Which means your Destiny Guardian will be gone, and I'll gain some life points… True Master - Lei Kuugo! Use Dragon God Flame!"

Densk's monster clapped her hands together and held them, her body adopting a golden glow. Within seconds, the aura was blindingly bright and the monster's eyes shot open, now a pure gold in color. The monster then moved it's hands outward, and several waves of energy were released into the ground, which upon contact burst into the flame, the sheet of fire flowing over Josiah's monster and obliterating it.

Josiah: 3101

Densk: 1400

"At least my Guardian's effect activates! It allows me to summon Legendary Hero - Josiah from my graveyard when it's destroyed! So return, my monster!" yelled Josiah, pulling the card from his graveyard and setting it on the field. The black haired, gray robe wearing boy returned, tapping his staff against the ground a few times. (1600/1900)

"Heh. It doesn't matter. My True Master's second ability allows her to attack your life points directly if you don't have a monster with more than two thousand attack or defense points on the field. True Master! Attack with Sengazanken!"

Densk's monster rose up on one foot and crossed her arms, pulling them close to it's body, a wave of ki energy racing across the ground. Suddenly, wave of bright white energy began racing over the True Master's body, her ponytail lifting upwards from to power. Then, she suddenly disappeared, reappearing near Josiah. Her body split multiple times until the boy was surrounded by eight of her, then they raced wildly back and forth, pummeling the teen with kicks and punches.

Josiah: 1

Densk: 1400

Josiah was struggling to rise up to a standing position, gritting his teeth and gathering the cards he had dropped when he was hit, now certain Densk had seen them. "Ugh… I've still got a chance, though… if it's luck, or skill, I don't care. I just want to win this!" he grumbled, finally rising up and brushing himself off. The Professor smiled, only this time, it was a kind, wizened smile, nothing like those grinning ones beforehand.

"Yes, I know. You'll need both to win now, since you've got until the end of your turn to either increase your life points, or beat me. Your move."

Josiah managed a kind of half smile as he drew his next card, which he immediately slid into his Duel Disk. "I'll activate the magic card Portal of Origin! As you obviously know, this card forces an automatic dice roll for each monster on the field. Let's see what effect I get for my monster!"

A large die appeared above Josiah's monster, then fell forward onto the ground, rolling towards the middle of the arena. It gave a simple spin when it reached the center, then fell over, landing on a five, with Josiah giving a shout of joy. "That's great! Five means that my monster can attack you directly this turn, which means you'll lose no matter what you roll!"

Densk smiled as the die appeared over his True Master, then rolled forward just as Josiah's did, stopping just before the center and landing on a Two. Densk smiled warmly, and Josiah merely frowned. "Two means that my monster is randomly shuffled out with a random monster from my deck, which CAN save me, mind you." said the Professor, taking the card that had slid out of his deck and putting his True Master where it was.

"This summons Traveling Mariachi #2 - Delos!"

There was a unique sound, like uncooked rice being shaken back and forth in a bag, then a rather large man faded in, holding a pair of maracas. He wore a bright red sombrero with an orange stripe around the rim, and his poncho was done in the same fashion. Underneath that was simply a pair of pants and a shirt, as well as a pair of sandals on his feet. (750/800)

"This is simply unlucky for you, dear boy. While Delos is face-up on the field, all direct damage to my life points is negated. Even if you attack him, it won't be enough damage to take me out. It looks like you lose."

Josiah grit his teeth and hung his head down, signaling with his hand that his turn was over. Immediately, all the monsters disappeared from the field as the boy's life points fell down into the negatives. The Professor made his way over to the boy, offering a hand for him to shake.

"That was a good duel. With some luck, you just may be a top student." said Densk, smiling softly. Josiah looked up, anger and disappointed fading from his face, and took the older man's hand in his, giving it a firm shake. "Yeah. I guess I'll stay here after all. I need to study up on my cards a lot more if I'm going to beat you someday." said the boy, pulling his hand back and returning his discard pile to his deck.

Professor Densk grinned and shook his head. "The head of a dorm dueling one of his students? Unheard of. Now, get going to the helicopters. You're going to be in Ra Yellow, so you can get there early and get settled in before the other non-students get placed in their dorms." he whispered to Josiah quietly, slipping him what looked like a duel monsters card. "That'll get you into the male dormitories. If any student asks you questions, just show them that card."

Josiah blinked, then pocketed the card with a nod, extending his hand for another shake. Densk took his hand and shook it firmly, then nodded and turned around, heading off. Josiah also turned around, the sliding door opening automatically for him. He stepped out of the arena and turned left, but came face to hair with a small child. He looked down and took a step back, squatting down a bit to get face to face with the little girl. Her hair was a bright, almond brown, and it was extremely curly, bouncing around her pale face and brown eyes.

The girl was also wearing a golden blazer, like the Professor's, only smaller and lacking in silver lining, which was instead white. Also, she wore a bright yellow skirt, which went all they way down to her ankles, instead of just above the knees like the other girl students. Josiah found the silence quite unnerving, and was about to speak up when the girl opened her mouth.

"You're going to be in Ra Yellow?"

Josiah smiled and nodded, pulling the card Professor Densk had given him from his pocket. He hadn't looked at the picture when he had taken it, and now he studied it carefully. It was a very well done picture of The Winged Dragon of Ra, the sleek and golden god, with a barcode where text would usually be. He flipped the card over to show to the little girl, who smiled brightly.

"That's great. Not many new students with Ra Yellow potential. My name is Maris. Maris Angrevo. Pleased to meet you, Josiah Agan." she said, extending a tiny hand. Josiah took it and shook softly, then the girl turned around, motioning for Josiah to follow her. "I'll lead you to the helicopters, then when we get there, to your room. You'll get to meet your roommate there, and you get some really nice perks for being in Ra Yellow… even if they aren't as good as Obelisk's."

Maris began to walk, so Josiah followed her, weaving in and out through students, some of which gave Josiah that strangest looks, or even the occasional thumbs-up. They left the main school area opposite the entrance, and Josiah almost gasped. Helicopters. So many of them, leaving, landing, picking up the new and old students. Maris gestured to a helicopter that stood out, sheer golden in color instead of black like the other helicopters. One the side was a picture of Ra, and a few students wearing golden blazers were stepping onto the helicopter.

"C'mon, Josiah! I'll introduce you." shouted Maris over the roar of the helicopters, running towards the large golden aircraft. Josiah followed, stepping on and looking around. It was indeed a spacious craft, with a total of twelve seats. About five of them were occupied, and just two of the five were wearing normal clothing, signaling they too had been chosen for Ra Yellow.

A nearby student wearing a golden blazer stood up, and held out his hand. Josiah blinked, not sure what the kid wanted, so he extending his own hand and shook the other boy's. He was just a little taller than Josiah, and apparently of African descent. His head was completely bald, and his eyes were brown, just like Maris'. A pair of golden-rimmed glasses also sat upon the bridge of his nose; they looked rather expensive.

"What's up, new kid? My name is Tidus Gresser. I'm ranked thirty-third in the school, nothing compared little Maria here, since she's twelfth. What's your name?" asked the boy, taking a seat again. Maris and Josiah took the seats on the opposite side of the aisle, Josiah stretching out and undoing the clasp on his Duel Disk. "Josiah. Josiah Agan. Just found out I'm in Ra Yellow."

Tidus smiled, re-doing the buckle on his seat. "That's cool. Who was your dueling proctor? What exam deck did they use? Was it hard?" queried the older boy. Josiah took quite a bit of time to absorb the questions, while Maris spoke for him: "It was strange. Apparently, the headmaster of Duelist Academy had Professor Densk duel him with his own deck. Josiah did good, but Densk is the best Professor in the school, and beat him."

Josiah frowned and poked Maris once in the shoulder. "I did better than good. I did excellent, if I had to say so myself." Maris giggled and poked him right back, then began to dig through her pockets for something. However, Josiah's attention shifted back to Tidus as he was pushed lightly on the shoulder. "Is Maris telling the truth? Did you really get to duel Professor Densk? You must have seen all his rare cards! What was his strongest monster?"

It was easy to remember the monster that nearly killed him. "It was… True Master - Lei Kuugo. Of the… Ancient Warriors set, right? Three thousand, eight hundred attack points, and three thousand defense points. It's first effect.." Josiah trailed off as Tidus spoke again, "Man, True Master? That card is rare as all hell. It's effects are badass, too. I knew the Prof ran an Ancient Warriors deck, but I never would have though he'd have one of those."

Maris' voice perked up in response, "Tidus, are you stupid? Of course he'd have it! He's a Professor, isn't he? It's also more than likely that Professor Runi and Professor Telorus have the strongest monsters of their sets, which are Adori Gurunai for Telorus' Oriental Scribe deck and Moon and Sun - Horus for Professor Runi's Egyptian Colossus deck."

There was silence for a second, then Josiah perked up and turned to Maris, who was now holding what looked like a small book, her eyes fixated on it. "Hey, Maris. How old are you anyways? Twelve or something?" The girl looked up and shook her head, closing her small black book. "I'm eleven, Tidus is seventeen.. I'm a younger member of Duelist Academy, but the youngest ever was an Eight year old. How? I don't know. They must have been phenomenal to get in so young."

Tidus nodded, watching a few other students in uniform pass them by to take a seat, then prodded Josiah, who was busy arguing about his duel earlier. "Hey man, it's time to go. Buckle your seatbelts, we're in for a looooong ride; especially because Maris is going to tell you about the school, and the colors." Josiah and Maris buckled their own seatbelts, then looked over as the door to the copter shut. There was another period of silence as the copter went airborne, then as they got over the clear blue sea, Maris poked Josiah in the ribs.

"Listen. There are three colors at Duelist Academy: Slifer Red, Ra Yellow, and Obelisk Blue. Slifer Red is the bottom rung of duelists, mainly those that barely pass their exams and written tests. Ra Yellow is the middle, for duelists who show quite a bit of promise and do average on their written tests and duel exam. Obelisk Blue is the top dorm, with the nicest stuff, best arenas, and strongest duelists who've proven themselves worthy, or have 'connections'."

Josiah grinned, then took his deck out of his duel disk and began looking through it, shifting his gaze to Maris after a few seconds. "If you're ranked twelfth in the school, why aren't you in Blue Obelisk?" he inquired. The girl smiled, then turned her head to look out at the horizon. "Simple. As qualified as I am for Obelisk, I have friends in Ra. Also, I hate the color blue… yellow is much better." Josiah nodded, then poked her shoulder.

"What deck do you use? What's your rarest card? Would you like to see my cards?" asked Josiah, offering his deck to Maris. She took it with a nod, and began shuffling through the cards, occasionally stopping on interesting cards. Then, Josiah heard a little gasp, and looked over; Maris had stopped on one of his best cards, Emperor - True Form. "TIDUS. Look at this." said Maris, pulling the card from the deck and holding it out to Tidus.

He took the card and looked at it, his eyes widening, He turned to Josiah and held up the card as if it's owner hadn't seen it before. "This card is the rarest card in the Legendary Heroes and Evils set! Double holographic, five thousand attack points, an awesome effect… it's like a dream come true. Do you have the four cards required to summon it?"

Josiah nodded. "I have Emperor - First Form, Emperor - Second Form, Forsaken Paladin - Peter, and The Emperor Arises. If they're so rare, I'm glad my father got them for me!" Tidus shook his head, handing the card back to Josiah, who took his deck back from Maris. "Now that you've properly shocked Tidus, I suppose you want to know about my deck… I use an Oriental Scribe deck, just like Professor Telorus. My strongest monster is Ginjen Gaigen. Tidus uses a Norse Mythology deck. I believe his strongest monster is Fenris Wolf, Son of Loki… are you sleeping?"

Sure enough, Josiah's head was tilted awkwardly to the side, and his eyes were shut, breathing quietly. It seemed he had fallen asleep after all.

"Hmph. I'll give him a talking to after we get there." mumbled Maris quietly.

* * *

End of Chapter 2. Is it still interesting? I hope so.

Uh, yeah. I'll write Chapter 3 soon, hopefully. Thanks for your reviews, people.


	3. Chapter 3: The Fairytale Battle

Disclaimer: Yeah. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or the Fairytales and stories used in Yen's deck.

Some of Yen's monsters you might know of, but a good deal of them are from Fairytales around the world.

Chapter 3: The Fairytale Battle

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There it was… Duelist Academy. The school itself was set into the side of a mountain, and the dorms were scattered about the island. Maris reached over and poked Josiah, then soon realized that such an attempt wouldn't work; she then resorted to yanking on the sleeping boy's ear, waking him up rather rudely. Josiah looked around groggily, reached up to rub at his ear. "What do you want, Maris? I was… trying to sleep…" he mumbled as Maris grabbed his shirt collar and forced his face to the window. Josiah caught a glance at a large, yellow beach house, then Maris pushed him back into his seat.

"That's the Ra Yellow dorms; boys get the middle floor, girls to the top floor. There's about… forty students in Ra Yellow. The average duelist level is 4.63, the top Freshman duelist is to be decided, the top Sophomore duelist is me, Maris Angrevo, the top Junior duelist is Tidus Gresser, the top Senior duelist is Moira McLeod, and the average win rate against non-Ra students are as follows: seventy-nine percent against Slifer Reds, and fifty-one percent against Obelisk Blues." rambled Maris as the helicopter began it's final descent, Josiah merely blinking a couple of times and raising a finger in question:

"What's duelist level, Maris?"

Maris smacked Josiah on the arm softly, then grinned. "Duelist level is a number proportional to how good you duel. It's one through ten, with one being the best. The best duelist in the Academy, Obelisk Blue sophomore Juanita Delgado, has a level of 2.01. My own personal level is 2.31. Based on your performance with Professor Densk, I'd say your duelist level is about four or so. Tidus' is 3.42." Josiah frowned a bit at the mention of his own duel level, then inquired, "Is there anyone with a duelist level of one?" This question brought a nod from Maris, who yawned widely before answering the question:

"Yes. Yugi Motou, the King of Games, is the only person with a perfect duelist level of one. Few people actually get anything above a two… but there are others. Seto Kaiba has a 1.12, Joey Wheeler has a 1.55, Maximillion Pegasus has a 1.79, and Mai Valentine has a 1.65. Of course, duelist level is the most accurate way to determine winning probability against any given opponent… provided they have been registered in the WWDD, or the World Wide Duelist Database, which most tournament-level duelists have. Consider you dueling against me… a four against my 2.31... I'd say your winning probability would be around seventeen percent, also factoring in my tournament wins and awards."

Josiah's brow furrowed in thought and mild discomfort. Was he really a level four duelist? Were there THAT many people there that could duel him into the ground? His train of thought was interrupted as the copter came to a halt, the door flying open. Josiah had to scramble to prevent his cards from being sucked right out of the door, then almost got bowled over by the other students as they left the helicopter. So he lay there on the floor, then a nudging in his side made him get up a bit. It was Maris, and she had extended a hand with a weird smile on her face.

"Get up. We have to get to the dorms… Tidus is already gone, and is probably heading there as we speak." Josiah took Maris' smaller hand in his, then stood up using most of his own strength while she tugged as hard as she could. Josiah also could have sworn he saw a little bit of red in Maris' cheeks, but thought it best not to dwell on things like that at the moment, then gathered up his stuff and hopped off the helicopter. The island seemed so much bigger close up… and the helicopter had deposited them right next to the male dorms, which was a plus.

Maris and Josiah made their way over to the side of the dorm, which was oddly-shaped like a L-block from Tetris, and came upon an oaken door with a slot for a card key. Josiah fumbled around in his pockets and pulled the god keycard from his pocket, then slid it into the slot, the door opening automatically. Both Maris and Josiah stepped in, and Josiah sat there with a look of awe on his face at the main area of the dorms; it was large, spacious, fitted with three televisions and a large glass wall, giving a great view of the ocean. He looked over to the left and saw a tall, winding staircase which led to the two upper levels, all with hallways and doors, as least from Josiah's point of view.

Maris stepped over and took Josiah's keycard, looking at it intently, then motioning to the staircase. "Your room is on the second floor, room number 22… your roommate is a kid named Yen von Fauntleroy. He's fifteen years old and the son of the esteemed Elgus von Fauntleroy, who owns the Elgus mines in Africa. I've never met him, but I do know that his deck is a Fairy Tale themed deck… it has cards like Cinderella, King of Thieves - Aladdin, Zlatovlaska the Golden-haired, Father Christmas, and if he has it, the strongest Fairy Tale monster there is, The Great Panjandrum. His duelist level is 2.43, by the way." Both students headed up the stairs, heading to the second door on the left. Maris nodded, then gave Josiah a little wave. "I've got to get going. There are some things I have to take care of… but I'll see you tonight at the dorm dinner."

Josiah nodded, then slid his card into the door, the lock clicking open. The boy wrapped his hand around the handle and opened it up, the sound of what seemed to be the music of a somewhat popular boy band whirling around his ears. His room was big, to say the least. Straight ahead of him, about fifteen feet or so, were a pair of bunk beds, the mattress on top surrounded by cutouts and prints of male models with some hand-drawn pictures. "Um.. Did I accidentally get the wrong room? I mean… oh, I guess I did, sorry." mumbled Josiah as a girl turned the corner off to the side, looking at him strangely. She stood at his height as was wearing nothing but a bright green turtleneck and a pair of mildly tight pants. Shiny, straight blonde hair dangled about her shoulders, and her face was a tinted peach, with a pair of curious blue eyes.

"No.. you are in the male dorms, and I am Yen von Fauntleroy." Said the girl, making Josiah look over and over again. "… You're a girl. Unless there's suddenly co-ed dorms, I'll be leaving you now." Yen blinked, then stuck 'her' hands under the hem of her turtle neck and pulled it up and over, then quickly did the same with white shirt beneath that, causing Josiah to look away for a second. "No, no, look! I am indeed Yen von Fauntleroy!" Josiah looked, and sure enough, was the bare chest of a boy. There was a brief flash in his mind, something he couldn't quite catch, then he just fell over, unconscious.

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Josiah awoke on the lower bunk, blinking a few times and sitting up, looking around groggily. His gaze met with Yen's, and he immediately shot back against the wall, giving Yen a strange, yet terrified look. Yen returned the look with a hurt one, shuffling a bit in his chair. "You just… fainted. I managed to drag you into the bed… but you've been out for four hours. The dorm dinner is going to be starting soon… I received your clothing about an hour ago." said Yen, brushing off the front of his uniform, which was basically a small version of Tidus'.

Josiah shook his head a few times, then rubbed at his eyes, squinting at Yen intensely. "How… how can someone with that face possibly be a guy?" Such a question brought about a laugh from Yen, who stood up and stretched his limbs with a grin. "That's what everyone says. Haven't you seen some men from Japan? A lot of them could pass for girls if they wanted to… consider me like them in that regard. I digress, however… you need to start getting ready for the dorm dinner. You have about five minutes." The amount of time given made Josiah merely shrug, and he reclined against the wall.

"So, what's with all the posters around your bunk, "Yen"?' asked Josiah, reaching up to scratch at his head. "I see no reason to tell you that, and as much as I'd love to stay and chat, I have to go meet up with a few of my friends. There's a lot of dueling to be done, and things to be tasted! You should really hurry up and get dressed so you can head downstairs." said Yen, standing up and stretching, turning around and heading towards the door. "See you later!" were the last words Yen said before the door was slammed shut.

Josiah blinked and yawned, scratching at his side before tossing the covers to the side and stepping off the bed, looking to his left. There was a small kitchen for preparing food, even with a small table and some folding chairs, and there was a stack of dishes neatly piled next to the microwave. Josiah made his way over and opened the cupboards, and was amused to see that it was completely stocked. He turned towards the table and saw a box with his name on it, which he opened. Inside was a brand new duel disk, which he took out and placed to the side. Underneath was his Ra Yellow uniform, and a letter of some sort.

Josiah opened the letter, and this is what he read:

Dear Josiah,

Instead of just leaving your stuff laying out, I packed it up for you! Also, there's a card inside I'd like you to have, as a little gift from me, your new roommate. Consider it the first step in a great friendship. I'll be looking forward to seeing you at the dinner, and possibly even dueling you someday!

Sincerely,

Yen von Fauntleroy

Josiah smiled a little and took the card out of the envelope, turning it over so he could look at it. "Hmm… why in the world would he give me Zlatovlaska the Golden-haired? Sure, she's got a good ability… for fairytale decks, though… ah, what the hell. I'll use it anyways." mumbled Josiah, taking his deck out of his pocket and sliding his new card into it. He then slid his deck into his new duel disk and removed his uniform from the box, getting dressed in a flash; the clothes fit perfectly, even over his normal clothing, tailored just a little larger than his exact measurements.

He slid on his duel disk, finding it a lot more comfortable than his old one, looking it over with a certain awe, then shook his head and headed towards the door, hearing the soft sound of a violin as he got closer to it. Upon opening the door, the soft sound of melodious classical touched his ears, but then the addition of several electronic sounds melded together to make it classical techno. Josiah moved to the stairs and went down, blinking as he looked around the main room, which was now filled with every single Ra Yellow student and Professor Densk as well, who was sitting down in a chair across from Tidus', engaged in a tabletop duel, the little holograms shifting back and forth across the table.

Maris was sitting on a couch, surrounded by several girls and a few boys, talking very rapidly and pointing at the screen of a TV, which contained footage of the Battle City tournament, specifically the battle between Yugi Motou and Seto Kaiba. Yen was standing at one of the tables, helping himself to a bowl of soup from the wide variety of food while chatting with a few of the other students. Josiah made his way over to watch the duel between The Professor and Tidus, which seemed to be coming to an end, as Tidus' only monster was Apple Goddess Idun in defense mode (500/2500), whereas Densk had his True Master - Lei Kuugo in attack mode, as well as another monster Josiah hadn't seen before. He was wearing a bright brown cowboy outfit, complete with little leather tassels on the edges and a plain leather cowboy hat to finish the look. He was holding what looked like.. Well, a .45 magnum. (3400/1000)

Densk: 2100

Tidus: 750

"Now, now, Tidus. Your use of spell and trap cards is pathetic compared to your use of monsters, meaning you've had little to no chance of beating me from the beginning. Anyways, I digress… I believe it's my turn!" said the Professor, drawing a card. "Hmm… I'll play the spell card you know as Shield Crush, which will obliterate your Apple Goddess… and even with her effect of giving you five hundred life points every time a magic card is used, you're still gone." Tidus' monster exploded into digital bits as the beam of green light that shot from Densk's card connected with it; all the holograms faded soon after.

Both of them shook hands, then Densk stood up and stretched. "I've got a few students to talk to… and some soup to retrieve." he mumbled, heading off into the crowd. Josiah felt a tap on his shoulder, so he turned around, coming face to face with Yen, the strong smell of peppered soup filling his nose. He took a step back and smiled softly as Yen spoke up, "Hey, Josiah. I know you've just gotten down here, and I was just about to eat when I had a great idea… let's have a little pre-dinner duel, right here, with our duel disks; I hate those tabletop things." Josiah blinked, then shrugged and nodded, stepping over into a more open area near the stairs, Yen setting his bowl of soup on a nearby table, both students raising their duel disks and getting a few stares.

Josiah: 4000

Yen: 4000

Each student drew five cards, followed by Yen drawing a sixth. "I believe I'll go first… and I'll start with Reynard Fox in attack mode!" Yen set a card onto his duel disk, and what looked like a plain old red fox appeared on his side of the field, soon rising up on it's hind legs and giving what seemed like a smirk. (500/500) "I'll then set a card face down and end my turn." said Yen with a strange smile on his face; the kind that makes you feel as though something bad is going to happen.

Josiah drew his card, then tossed a card onto his duel disk. "I'll play Legendary Squire - Kryn in attack mode! He hasn't got an ability, but he'll be able to take out your monster with ease." A blonde-haired boy appeared on Josiah's side of the field, wielding a curved sword in one hand and a small shield in the other. He was wearing some very worn leather armor and cloth pants, and a single clump of hair covered his right eye from view. (1500/600) "Now, attack, my hero!"

Josiah's Legendary Hero ran across the field, raising it up high and swinging it down with admirable force; but, right before the stroke connected, there was a snap and what seemed like a large band of rubber shot out from the ground, slamming against the Legendary Hero and flinging him back to his original position. "Tsk tsk. Reynard Fox was a trickster, one so great he even escaped his own death. By discarding two cards from my hand, I can negate any attack on him." snickered Yen, sliding two cards into his graveyard. Josiah shrugged and slid a card into his duel disk. "One card face down, and that'll do."

Yen pressed a button on his duel disk, then gestured to the face-down card on his field, which turned up, revealing what looked like an Arabian Palace. "Before I draw, I'll first activate the card One Hundred Arabian Nights, which works as such: Any time I summon a Fairytale monster, ten nights will pass. Once one hundred nights have passed, something good will happen. Anyways, I'll be drawing now…" Yen drew his card and set another one onto his duel disk. "I'll sacrifice Reynard Fox to summon The Easter Rabbit in attack mode!" Yen's monster disappeared from his side of the field, then was replaced by a snow-white anthropomorphic rabbit easily taller than either of them, clutching a basket of eggs and staring down Josiah's monster with it's red eyes. (1650/500)

"Firstly, The Easter Rabbit allows us to each take a card from each other's decks and switch them, and I know just what I card I want from your deck… and that's Emperor - True Form!" cackled Yen, pointing at Josiah. Josiah made his way over to Yen and pulled his card from his deck, handing to the other student, getting his deck in return. Josiah looked through it, and slid out a card, handing his deck back to it. "I'll be taking your best card, The Great Panjandrum, if you don't mind." Yen nodded and slid Josiah's card into his deck, which was automatically shuffled while Josiah made his way back to his side, his own deck shuffling as he moved.

"Second, I'll attack your Legendary Hero - Kryn! Easter Rabbit! Attack with Easter Surprise!" shouted Yen. The Easter Rabbit reached into his basket and pulled out a couple of eggs, winding up and flinging them at Josiah's monster. "Hold on! I'll activate the trap card known as Stand-In! This allows me to switch any monster on my side of the field with any monster in my hand that has less attack points, and I choose Legendary Hero - Steven!" said Josiah, tapping a button on his duel disk and replacing his monster. The blonde-haired youth disappeared, and in his place appeared a slightly younger brown-blonde haired teenager, clothed in simple cloth armor and pants, holding a short sword in one hand. (800/800)

It was short lived, however; the eggs collided with Josiah's monster and exploded with mighty force, leaving nothing left of the poor monster. "Well, when Steven is sent to the graveyard from battle, the monster who destroyed him loses attack points equal to his own, but I'll still take the damage." said Josiah quietly, watching his life points dip down a little bit, but the Easter Rabbit started twitching a little bit, then fell down to one knee, shrinking in size. (850/500) "Hmm… interesting. However, I'll set one card face down and end my turn."

Josiah: 3150

Yen: 4000

Josiah drew and swiftly slid two cards into his duel disk soon after. "I'll activate the magic card Living Death Fusion! By paying one thousand life points, I can fuse a monster in my hand and a monster in my graveyard, and I choose to fuse my Legendary Heroes Steven and Kryn!" Josiah's graveyard shone with a flash of light, then a monster came to be on his side of the field, but it really just looked like Legendary Hero Kryn, only his face was a little darker, and he was now clad in what looked like a ninja outfit, only without the face mask and a pair of shoulder plates on. (2200/1800)

"This is Reborn Child - Kryn! My first order of business will be to activate his effect, which destroys all magic and trap cards in each of our hands. Thank goodness I placed my only other card on the field before I summoned him… what about you, Yen?" inquired Josiah, perking an eyebrow. Yen nodded solemnly, and Josiah's monster swung out his hand, flinging a kunai at the boy, the knife sticking into a card, which was sent to the graveyard. "If that how you want to play, that's fine with me! I activate my trap card, Somewhere over the Rainbow! This allows me to place one trap or magic card from my discard pile directly into my trap or magic zone by paying five hundred life points!"

Josiah: 2150

Yen: 3500

A giant rainbow erupted from Yen's discard slot and landed behind his Easter Rabbit, a card sliding down along it and settling above the ground, Josiah unable to see exactly what it was. "Whatever. I'll attack your Easter Rabbit with my Reborn Child - Kryn!" said Josiah, Kryn shifting into an attack stance. "Stop right there! I'll activate the trap card The Farce of Samson Cat! This sends an attacking monster on the field back to its owner's hand regardless of card effects, but I'll lose half the monster's attack points from my life points, which adds up to one thousand, one hundred total."

Josiah: 2150

Yen: 2400

First there was a meow, then it was magnified into a roar, the noise vibrating through Josiah's monster, which flew back into its card. "Hmm… well played, Yen! It seems I've made quite a mistake in judging you a bit early." said Josiah with a grin, receiving one in kind from Yen. "Heh. I'm not one of the top-ranked duelists for nothing." came the reply, to which Josiah nodded. "I'll set a card face down and end my turn."

Yen drew a card and looked over his options. "I'll play the magic card Card of Sanctity! Let's draw to six, Josiah." mumbled Yen, drawing five cards with a somber smile while Josiah drew his own. "I'll sacrifice my Easter Rabbit to summon Wassilissa the Beautiful in attack mode!" Yen's white rabbit disappeared from the field, and was replaced by a girl in a lovely orange dress with what looked like a black vest on her torso, which had lovely floral designs printed upon it, as did her hat, which was a large circular thing that stood up around a foot tall. Her face was a lovely peach and lovely blonde hair dangled over the right side of her torso in a long ponytail. (2000/2000)

"Wassilissa, attack with the Skull of Baba-Yaga!" shouted Yen, and his monster produced a bleached skull with the flames of candles for eyes. The flames suddenly released a flash of red light and a burst of flame was shot at Josiah. "Activate trap card, Ancient Defense! If I have no monsters on the field and Legendary Hero - Steven in my graveyard, I can negate the attack and summon my Legendary Hero in defense mode!" said Josiah, gesturing to the field just as his Legendary Hero - Steven reappeared, holding out a hand and deflecting the fire blast with an unseen barrier.

"Hmm. Well, whenever Wassilissa the Beautiful attacks, I'm allowed to summon a wooden doll token at the end of my turn in defense mode, provided I deduct one thousand attack points from Wassilissa, which I will." mumbled Yen, while his monster put the skull away and pulled out a small wooden doll from it's pocket, which sprang to life and stood next to it's much taller master. (0/1000) "I'll place two cards face down and end my turn." Josiah smiled and drew a card, then slid two into his duel disk. "First, I'll activate the magic card Elemental Ascension, which allows me to sacrifice a Legendary Hero - Steven to summon any of his elemental varieties… so I choose to summon Legendary Earth Knight - Steven in attack mode!"

Josiah's monster stabbed it's sword into the earth, which swirled around it and erupted upward, covering the monster in brown earth, which cracked and fell off to reveal a fully armored warrior with a mountain symbol on the center of his brown armor and a large, shining sword in his right hand. (2100/2400) "Now I'll also play Legendary Hero - Vincent in attack mode!" A swirling cape appeared on the field, then conformed to a crimson suit of light armor, which was filled in by a black haired man, youthful in appearance but aging nicely. He swung a hand out, and a silver blade flashed into existence; he grabbed the handle and struck a fighting position. (1900/1400)

"I'll then place a card face down… then order my Legendary Earth Knight to attack your Wassilissa the Beautiful with Gravity Sword!" Josiah's monster raised it sword and gave a mighty swing, releasing a wave of black/purple energy which circled around Wassilissa, then slammed down on the monster with several hundred times the normal gravity, obliterating it entirely. Yen smirked, then pressed a button on his duel disk. "I'm going to activate the trap card Christmas Miracle! It's a continuous trap that prevents more than one attack per round and restores five hundred life points to each of us at the beginning of my turn."

Josiah: 2150

Yen: 1300

"Heh. I'll end my turn, then." said Josiah, giving a light bow. Yen drew his card, and his face up Christmas Miracle card shone to life, scattering sparkles over each of the duelists and increasing their life points. "I'll activate the ritual magic card The Magic of Christmas, and send one monster in my hand to the graveyard to meet the level requirement of eight or more stars… to summon Father Christmas in attack mode!" The field grew dark, then snow began to drift down from a dark night sky. Lampposts sprung up from the ground, which then turned to a stone street, a large Christmas tree appearing off to their side. A sudden swirl of snow shot into the sky, then a large form appeared in a flash of sparkles; it was a man with a fine white beard and moustache, clad in a bright red suit with a white fuzzy lining. (2700/2500)

"Firstly, you may have noticed the change in scenery. That's because I've just played the field spell card Christmas Night, which activates one of Father Christmas' abilities and also grants an additional three hundred life points whenever one of us plays a fairytale monster. Because Christmas Miracle is on the field, Father Christmas cannot be destroyed in battle, and because I've played Christmas Night, he is unaffected by trap cards. Before I attack, I'm going to play Dasher and Dancer in attack mode!" Yen pressed a card onto his duel disk, and two large brown reindeer appeared next to Father Christmas, both clad in red reigns with little golden bells attacked to them. (1400/1200)

"And if Father Christmas is on the field, Dasher and Dancer gain an additional five hundred attack points!" Father Christmas raised a hand and swung it gently towards the two reindeer, releasing sparkles that caught a gust of wind and drifted over the two animals, which grew in size. (1900/1200) "Now, Father Christmas, attack Legendary Hero - Vincent with North Pole Freeze!" shouted Yen, clenching his free hand tightly. "Wait, I'll activate the trap card Gem Warrior's Protection! This allows me to negate an attack on one warrior type monster if I cut it's attack in half!" said Josiah, pressing a button on his duel disk and causing a silver barrier to surround his monster just as a polar wind swept over it. (950/1400)

Josiah: 2650

Yen: 2100

"Well… I have to end my turn, because Christmas Miracle is still in play." said Yen, dropping his arm to his side. Josiah wiped his forehead off and drew a card, shifting his gaze to the crowd for a moment. A good deal of the students weren't paying attention, but quite a few were surrounding them, Densk, Maris, and Tidus included. Josiah looked at his cards, then slid a card into his duel disk. "I'll activate the ritual magic card Ascension of the Sky Knight! This allows me to sacrifice my Legendary Earth Knight - Steven and one other monster to special summon Legendary Sky Knight - Steven from my hand or deck in attack mode!" Josiah's Legendary Hero - Vincent disappeared from the field, and his remaining monster raised his sword to the sky, his armor breaking off as his whole body shone with a bright light. When the light faded, his armor had returned, only a bright rainbow in color and a whole plethora of elemental symbols were scattered upon it. (2800/2100)

"Now, my monster, attack Dasher and Dancer with Horizon Slash!" yelled Josiah, pointing at the two reindeer. His monster complied and swung its sword horizontally, and suddenly the area lit up as the sun seemed to rise up from nearby and engulf the entire field. Once it had disappeared, the reindeer were no more. "I activate the trap card Fairytale Return! This allows me to place one fairytale monster from my graveyard into my hand, and I'll choose Dasher and Dancer!" exclaimed Yen, taking the card that slid out from his discard slot and putting it into his hand. "Alright, I'll set a card face down and end my turn."

Josiah: 2650

Yen: 1200

Yen drew a card, gave it a glance, then slid it into his duel disk as the sparkles from his Christmas Miracle card covered him and Josiah. "I activate the continuous magic card Christmas Spirit! Not only does this grant my Father Christmas the ability to be unaffected by magic cards, it also allows either of us to draw one card at the end of any turn that we don't have any cards in our hand! I'll switch Father Christmas into defense mode, summon Dasher and Dancer in defense mode, and then end my turn, drawing one card." The two reindeer appeared again, snorting angrily. (1900/1200)

Josiah drew a card, then slid all four of them into his duel disk. "Firstly, I'll activate the spell card Mystical Space Typhoon! With it, I choose to destroy your Christmas Miracle Card!" Yen grit his teeth as his card was shattered into digital bits as a crackling tornado slammed into it from Josiah's side of the field. "Then I'll activate the spell card Zonestar Heritage! I'll pay one thousand life points to summon Legendary Hero - Joseph in attack mode!" Blue robes and shiny black hair christened the appearance of Josiah's monster, raising his staff upwards to the sky. "I'll then activate the magic card Joseph's Miracle! This allows me to sacrifice one Legendary Hero - Joseph to destroy one monster on the field and deal both of us damage equal to its original attack power, and I choose Dasher and Dancer!"

Josiah's monster dropped it staff and held it's hand out, and began to focus and chant deeply. Streams of blue energy flowed from the monster to the gap between his hands, forming a crystalline orb with what looked like a shining star in it's center. The monster then flung it to the center of the field, at which point it erupted in pure energy, taking both reindeer with the boy. "I'll finish by activating the equip spell card Strike of a True Warrior! This teaches my Legendary Sky Knight - Steven how to pierce through the defense of an opponent's monster, inflicting the difference between his attack points and your monster's defense points as damage to you! Now, attack!" Yen raised up his hands in defense as Josiah's monster swung it's sword, releasing several energy waves that ripped through his monster and struck him directly on his duel disk.

"And that's game."

Josiah: 1050

Yen: 0

Yen fell backwards onto his rear just as the applause started, taking a deep breath and smiling widely. Josiah made his way over to the boy and grinned widely, extending a hand to help him up. Yen graciously accepted the hand and got up, brushed himself off, then handed Josiah his card back. Josiah took his card and nodded, returned Yen's card, then draped an arm over the other boy's shoulder and gave a rather goofy salute to the crowd.

"Josiah! That was a great duel! Fantastic! And you even pulled out a win with a twenty-seven percent winning chance!" yelled Maris, basically slamming herself into Josiah's stomach in a hug. Densk smiled widely before turning around and heading off, while Tidus scratched idly at the side of his head with a wide smile. "Yeah, that was a great duel, Josiah. I think you'll be just fine here." said Yen, giving him a few nudges in the side and a smile of his own. This made Josiah smile and nod, patting Maris on the back of the head and giving Tidus a wave.

"I think I'll be just fine too."

* * *

I'll probably put in the two characters the next chapter.

And once again, I'm terribly sorry for the wait, especially on this one.

See you next time!


	4. Chapter 4: Classroom Dueling

Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh. Nope, not even just a little bit of it.

Have fun reading the new chapter!

Chapter 4: Classroom Dueling

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Josiah woke up, light streaming into his room; the blinds were opened, letting both the warmth of the sun and the sound of the ocean inward. He sat up and rubbed at his eyes, then tossed his blankets aside and stepped out of his bed. A deep breath inward heralded a sweet smell, which Josiah guessed was cinnamon, and made him turn towards the kitchen area of the room. There was Yen, sitting at the table, enjoying a muffin. Josiah also noticed an entire plate of them on the table, so he made his way over and took a seat, Yen giving him a smile in greeting.

"Good morning, Josiah. Did you sleep well?" queried Yen, finishing off his muffin in a couple of bites as Josiah nodded and yawned widely. "More or less. I think that stew upset my stomach… but I'm okay. Can I have one of these muffins?" Yen nodded and stood up, brushing off the front of his uniform and looking over his duel disk. "Sure. Cinnamon crumb, I enjoy them very much. Anyways, class starts today, and I happen to have the earliest class in the Academy, or Advanced Dueling Strategies, so I've got to get going. Your first class should be starting in forty-five minutes or so, so you've got time… anyways, see you later."

Josiah grabbed a muffin and nodded, giving Yen a little wave as he moved out of view. "I'll see you later, I guess." Josiah bit into his muffin and held it there, then grabbed his duel blazer, slipping into it and buttoning it up. He then bit off what bit of the muffin was in his mouth and placed it back onto the table, retrieving his duel disk from under his head and his deck from his pocket. He slid his deck into his duel disk and grabbed his muffin, then headed out of the door. The boy made his way downstairs, catching a glimpse of a few students reading in the main area, then headed out of the door.

Overall, it took about ten minutes to reach the Academy, making Josiah wonder why they had placed the dorms so far away from there. He quickly forgot about it, however, as he passed a room with walls covered with glass cases of cards and a large glass counter also filled with cards. He stopped and headed inward, just as someone emerged from the back room. It was a robed figure, hood down so low it was amazing it even knew where it was going. It took a seat in the red, comfy armchair behind the counter, and spoke in a light voice, totally incomparable to its mysterious look: "Can I help you, Josiah?"

Josiah was stunned, mainly because he was pretty sure he hadn't met this person before and there's no way it could have known his name. "So.. Have we met before, Mr.Strange Robed Figure? And what's this room for?" The robed figure seemed to laugh for a second, then reclined in the chair with a shudder. "No, we haven't. But I do know every single student in this school. As for me, my name is Emit, and I am the Academy's Card Dealer. I give students cards provided they've earned them, and even the occasional "freebie"." Josiah blinked, then looked over the cards in the display: Imperial Order, Power Bond, Metal End Dragon, Horus the Black Flame Dragon Lv8... There were so many rares, Josiah couldn't get his head around how the dealer had gotten so many.

"Do you like them? It took a long time to collect them all, and even longer to decide I should give them to skilled duelists at Duel Academy. The Professors and the Chancellor welcomed me happily, and I've been here ever since, helping out young duelists such as you. In fact, whenever a new duelist comes to visit, he gets one random rare card… and I believe yours will be… Gem of Water - Blue, from the Legendary Heroes and Evils set." Said Emit, sliding a card across the counter. Josiah took it and looked it over, smiling widely.

"Are you sure, Mr.Emit? This is a pretty rare card." asked Josiah, about to slide it into his deck. "Yes, yes, I'm sure. I only want one thing from you in return, Josiah… I want to duel you. Not now, but when I show up, you must accept." That requirement seemed a little odd to Josiah, but he nodded. "Sure, I'll duel you… but I've spent too much time wandering around the Academy, and it's almost time for class to start. I'll see you later, Emit." said Josiah as he turned around and gave a short wave before dashing off. Emit chuckled again and nodded. "I'm sure you will."

--

Josiah bolted around the corner, turning here, turning there, trying to get to his class in time. His speed ended up merely making him turn a corner and collide with another student, who was wearing a bright red blazer. Both he and the student fell to the ground, and cards flew everywhere. Josiah looked at his deck to make sure none of his had fallen out, and then looked up at the person in front of him. It was a girl with brown hair that shone with golden highlights, and a pair of brown golden-flecked eyes that stared at him from behind slightly squared glasses.

"Sorry!" spat both teens at the same time, before beginning to gather all of the girl's cards. Josiah picked up one and gave it a squint, then smiled. "Hey, this is Elemental Hero - Bubblegirl! If she's summoned to the field when Elemental Hero - Bubbleman is out, you can return two cards from your graveyard to your hand!" The girl paused for a moment, then plucked the card out of Josiah's hand. "Yeah.. I like her. She's a good card." Josiah helped the girl gather up the rest of her cards, then rose up and brushed himself off.

"I'm Josiah. Josiah Agan. And you must be a good duelist if you're playing with Elemental Heroes." said Josiah softly, extending a hand in greeting. The girl looked off to the side, then managed a half-hearted smile and met his gaze with hers. "I'm Miriku Hernandez, but I'm not too good at dueling. I mean, I'm not too bad, but I'm not the greatest." Josiah scratched at his chin, then inquired, "So, what class do you have? If it's Tournament-Level Dueling Class, we can go together." The girl looked around a bit, then nodded. "Alright, let's go. We're running late."

Both students turned about and started to run, soon coming to an open door and shifting inside just as the Professor began to talk: "Welcome to class, students. I am Executive Chairmen of Techniques, the Head of Ra Yellow, and the teacher of this class, Professor Argan Densk. This class is about dueling first and foremost. Little will be done studying outside of class, so you can save it for Advanced Dueling Techniques. Before we head to the main stadium, we're going to have a pre-duel, and you're going to all analyze the dueling strategies of the duelists I've chosen: Maris Angrevo and Victor Kyosay. Some of you might be wondering why I'm asking you to analyze these two's dueling strategies, and it's quite simple.. They're two of the best, and part of the final is dueling them."

Josiah looked over at Miriku, then gestured for her to follow him as he moved down the steps into the third row, taking a seat; Miriku took the one next to him. "We're going to have to duel one of those two awesome duelists? How is that a fair final?" whispered Josiah, and Miriku responded in a whisper as well: "Oh great… that's not good at all. I can't beat someone in Ra Yellow, especially if a Professor is backing them up…" Josiah grinned, and reclined in his chair. "Don't worry about it, Miriku. I'm sure you'll do fine when the time comes."

Maris hopped up from her chair and moved to the front of the room, her duel disk clicking into place as she turned around. Following her was a boy just a little taller than Josiah, clad in a bright Yellow Blazer just like Maris. His hair was short and brown, and he had a rather pensive look on his face, which also turned Josiah's attention to the scar over his left eye. He walked to the right of Maris a bit, then turned to face her as his duel disk sprung to life.

"Duel!"

Maris: 4000

Victor: 4000

Maris drew a card into her hand, then set one onto her duel disk. "I'll play Odoro the Scribe in attack mode!" An oriental man appeared on Maris' side of the field, clad in nice red robes with silver lining. His head was devoid of hair, and he had a very ornate pair of glasses on his nose. In his hands was a large paintbrush, and at his feet laid a large inkpot. (900/800) "I'll then set a card face-down and end my turn." Victor nodded and drew his card, then set a card of his own down. "I summon Chaos Archer in attack mode." A man appeared in a swirl of black wind, wearing dark gray light armor and a pair of spiked boots. Black hair dangled in front of his red eyes as he cocked an arrow in his large bow, dropping to one knee and drawing a bead on Maris' monster. (1500/400)

"Now, Chaos Archer! Attack with Arrow of Chaos!"

The arrow cocked in the Chaos Archer's bow suddenly burst into purple flame just before it was released, the arrow streaming across the field and piercing straight through Maris' monster. "And when Chaos Archer destroys a monster in attack mode, it's attack points are increased by five hundred points during the damage step, which means you'll actually take seven hundred life points worth of damage!" Maris smiled and drew a card into her hand with a smile. "When Odoro is destroyed in face-up attack mode, I get to draw two cards, so thanks." And as Maris finished her sentence, a purple fire blazed up around her, draining her life points, but she didn't even flinch. "I too, will set a card face-down. My turn is over."

Maris: 2800

Victor: 4000

Maris drew a card, then gestured to the field. "I activate the trap card Ancient Ghost of the Library! If I have a monster in my graveyard with "Scribe" in its name, I'm allowed to remove it from the game and draw two cards, then discard one." A ghostly version of Odoro the Scribe flew out of Maris' discard slot and raised its hands, two cards sliding off the top of her deck into her hand, after which the ghost disappeared. Maris deposited one card into her discard slot, then set one onto her disk. "I'll summon Shinichi the Scribe in attack mode!"

A monster very similar to Odoro appeared, only he had a monocle instead of glasses, and he also had long black hair that reached the floor. The color of his robes was also different, a bright shining purple with black lining, and random characters were sewn onto it. He too, was also holding a large paintbrush and had a large inkpot at his feet. (1600/1000) "I'll also activate the equip magic card Legendary Inkbrush, which allows me to draw a card whenever I summon a monster with "Scribe" in it's name, and also returns to my hand immediately upon being sent to the graveyard. I'll set a card face-down, then order Shinichi to attack with Symbol of the Peacock!"

Maris' monster tossed its inkbrush aside just as a shining, golden inkbrush appeared above him, glittering with gemstones. The scribe grabbed it and spun it around, dipping the brush end into the inkpot at his feet, then swinging it back and forth through the air, drawing a symbol on an invisible canvas. Once the symbol was complete, it began to glow blue, and a giant, ghostly peacock erupted from it, releasing several bolts of lightning from it's tail feathers, which rushed across the field and obliterated Victor's monster. However, a few streams of electricity arced through his monster and pierced his duel disk, lowering his life points.

"You walked right into my trap, which was quite a mistake on your part, little girl. I activate the trap card Chaotic Vitality! Whenever a monster with "Chaos" in its name is sent to the graveyard, I can activate this card and deal you five hundred life points of damage while gaining that much life!" shouted Victor, a purple glow suffusing around him and Maris. Maris grinned and pressed a button on her duel disk, the card on her side of the field flipping up, revealing a pair of golden scales drawn in a book. "And I'll activate The Scales of Virtue! If either of us deals damage via a card effect, we skip our next draw phase. However, if we restore life points to each other via a card effect, we draw one additional card on our next draw phase. This really works against your Chaos deck, considering a lot of your damage tends to be effect damage."

Maris: 2200

Victor: 4400

"I'll set another card face-down, and end my turn." said Maris with a smug look on her face. Victor looked at his hand, then scowled at Maris, slapping a card on his disk. "I summon Chaos Knight in attack mode!" Another swirl of black wind and another creature appeared, this one clad in giant suit of ebony black armor decorated with red symbols. In his hands he wielded a large axe, just about as big as him. (2500/1300) "You do know his ability forces you to sacrifice him at the end of your turn?" asked Maris, perking an eyebrow. "Don't you dare start trying to tell me about my own cards! Chaos Knight, attack with Chaos Cleave!" yelled Victor to his monster, which complied, bracing itself and lifting it's axe up into the air and taking a few steps towards Maris' monster.

"Fine, fine, I'll activate the trap card Unfaltering Curiosity. This allows me to prevent the destruction of one monster with "Scribe" in it's name, provided I discard a card from my hand, which I gladly will." muttered Maris with a tiny grin, sliding a card into the discard slot just as the Chaos Knight swung down, her Scribe holding up it's inkbrush and blocking the blow. However, a ghostly image of the axe cleaved through and went straight through Maris' disk.

Maris: 1300

Victor: 4400

"Now, at the end of your turn, Chaos Knight will disappear, and you'll be left wide open. Are you sure you're really one of the best?" joked Maris, waving her card hand around mockingly. "I don't need to reassure myself about how good I am, so shut up! I place a card face-down and end my turn!" retorted Victor, getting thoroughly annoyed. Maris drew her card and watched as Victor's Chaos Knight exploded into purple flame, then slid a card into her duel disk. "I activate the ritual spell card The Trial of Spirit! I'll discard a level eight monster from my hand to summon Ginjen Gaigen in attack mode!"

A large book appeared on Maris' side of the field and opened, revealing nothing but black pages. Suddenly, writing began to fill the pages, which also began flipping forward very quickly. Once the book had reached the end, it snapped just and erupted into golden light, leaving behind a woman clad in a bright brown kimono with white lining and floral designs all over it. There was a white kitsune mask on her face, painted with purple stripes on its cheeks. Her hair was brown like her kimono, and only reached the small of her back, unlike Shinichi. In her hands she wielded two inkbrushes, which looked as though they were made of solid diamond. (2500/2000)

"I'll refresh your mind on her effect: it allows me to discard a card once during either of our turns, and if I do that, you must also discard a card. Also, she is treated as though she has "Scribe" in her monster title, so I get to draw a card thanks to Legendary Inkbrush's ability." said Maris, drawing a card into her hand. "I'll then activate the field magic card Library of Knowledge. This allows the drawing of one additional card at the end phase of any turn we've discarded a card. I know, it seems redundant, as it'll grant you the ability to get cards to make up for the one I've made you discard, but hold on…" Maris paused as she stretched out a bit, the classroom turning into the center of a gigantic library, books filling the floor.

"I order Ginjen Gaigen and Shinichi to attack your life points directly."

Both of Maris' monsters went close to each other and began drawing together on the invisible canvas, this time creating a lavish seal with a symbol in the middle, which produced a large, ghostly dragon. It was bright yellow in color and very oriental in appearance, and roared very loudly before releasing a stream of fire that swept over Victor, sending his life points into the red. "And that'll end my turn." said Maris, giving Victor a mocking bow.

Maris: 1300

Victor: 300

Victor scowled again and drew a card into his hand, then slid one into his duel disk. "I'll activate the trap card Chaotic Reinforcement! I'll pay half my life points to summon one monster from the graveyard with "Chaos" in its name, and I choose Chaos Knight!" A pair of black flags sprouted up from the ground, and between them came that familiar black wind, which heralded the return of Victor's Chaos Knight. The towering knight readied its axe in preparation to attack, giving a grunt of dislike. "I'll then activate the magic card Chaos Drain! This allows me to absorb all the life points that you lose this turn, so I'll order my Chaos Knight to attack your Shinichi with Chaos Cleave!"

Victor's monster took a few steps forward, dragging its axe along, then hefted the mighty weapon high up into the air and swung it down, easily splitting Maris' monster into two. The ghostly afterimage of the axe cleaved through the air and sliced right through Maris' disk right after, but the girl merely added a card from the field to her hand. "Well, Legendary Inkbrush returns to my hand immediately. Is that all?" Victor shook his head and grinned maliciously, then slid another card into his duel disk. "I activate Title of Chaos! When Chaos Knight has destroyed a monster in battle, I'm allowed to sacrifice him to summon Chaos Champion from my hand!" The Chaos Knight disappeared soon after Victor finished, being replaced with a much taller knight with a long crimson cape and spikes protruding from his armor. The large axe had also disappeared, replaced by a pair of spiked longswords. (2800/2000)

Maris: 400

Victor: 1050

"And unlike my Knight, he doesn't need to be sacrificed at the end of my turn! So take your last turn before you're destroyed." said Victor, crossing his arms smugly. Maris drew one card and smiled softly. "Sorry to say, but neither of us will be winning this duel today. I first equip Legendary Inkbrush to Ginjen Gaigen!" Victor frowned as Maris' monster dropped both of its diamond brushes to pluck the ornamental one out of the air. "I then activate the spell card Illegal Knowledge! This allows me to remove any number of face-up spell or trap cards on my side of the field from the game to draw that many cards, and I remove Legendary Inkbrush, Library of Knowledge, and Scales of Virtue!"

The library in the classroom disappeared, the ornate brush in Ginjen Gaigen's hand along with it, and the scales exploding into digital pieces. Maris drew two cards into her hand, then slid another into her duel disk. "I'll then activate the continuous spell card Research Illness! The effect of this card deals either of us five hundred life points of damage whenever we draw a card outside of our draw phase." Maris paused for a moment, then slid one of her last two cards into her duel disk. "I activate the magic card Card of Sanctity! This forces us to draw to six cards, which deals us both three thousand life points of damage! This duel is over."

Maris: 0

Victor: 0

The holograms faded from the field, Maris looking rather pleased with the duel while Victor crossed his arms and gave her a rather vile stare, but said nothing. Densk walked between them and looked up to the class, gesturing to both Maris and Victor. "As you probably noticed, Maris was very flexible with her cards. She can draw a lot of cards and prevent you from doing it, and in the event of her falling behind, she'll happily try to get a draw, which counts as a fail during the final. Victor can deal plenty of damage and restore his own life easily, but his card drawing ability is subpar. Remember them. Watch them. But don't try too hard, especially if I suddenly feel like changing the final duelists."

"That was amazing how Maris forced a draw! She can draw a whole lot of cards with her Oriental Scribes!" said Josiah, teetering on the edge of his seat. Miriku nodded and smiled brightly, amazed at the duel. "Yeah! I wish I could play as good as that! I'd be in Ra Yellow in no time!" Josiah sat back down and perked an eyebrow at Miriku, then grinned again. "Hey, don't worry! I'll help you out. When we get to the main stadium, you can duel against me!" Miriku blinked a few times, then gave a shrug with a little smile. "I guess, but I wouldn't be surprised if you creamed me."

"Now, everyone, let's head towards the main stadium. Once you're there, pick a partner and duel them. Once you're done, talk about it. Then duel again. After that one, try dueling with each other's decks. The more flexible you can be with cards, the better you'll end up." said Densk, causing everyone to get up and heads towards the stadium.

The stadium was huge, capable of holding many more people than there were students in the school. The main platform had been lowered to make room for all the students, who spread out evenly in the wide area. Miriku and Josiah took their own places near the stadium door, their duel disks clicking into place. "Now, Miriku, show me what you're made of!" said Josiah, drawing five cards. Miriku drew her own five cards and nodded. "I'll try my hardest!"

Josiah: 4000

Miriku: 4000

Miriku drew her card first, then slapped a card onto the field. "I play Elemental Hero - Rosette in attack mode!" A large, red flower bulb appeared on the field in front of Miriku, soon after opening up and revealing a woman in a skintight green body suit with a mask on, red hair dancing about her shoulders. She reached down and pulled a thorny whip off her belt and cracked it menacingly. (1400/1200) "I'll set two cards face-down, and then I'll end my turn.

"Good move. Rosette's ability lowers the attack power of all non-Elemental Hero monsters by three hundred points. I'll have to summon Legendary Hero - Dmitri in attack mode!" said Josiah, setting a card on his duel disk. A shining pentagram appeared on his side of the field, from which a black-cloaked magician rose. He produced a large staff from underneath his cloak, which upon opening revealed a suit of shining armor covered in gems. (1500/1900) "He would have eighteen hundred attack power, but Rosette's keeping him in the low. Attack, Dmitri!"

Josiah's monster raised it's staff upwards, then swung it through the air, releasing a wave of magical energy towards Miriku's monster. "I activate the trap card Hero Barrier! This allows me to negate one attack on any monster with "Elemental Hero" in its name!" shouted the girl, a shining, blue electrical barrier springing up and absorbing the magical wave with ease. "Hmm. Not bad at all. I'll set a card face-down, then I'll let you go."

Miriku drew her card and smiled brightly. "I activate the magic card Polymerization! I'll fuse my Elemental Heroes Rosette and Bubblegirl together to form…" Miriku paused as another girl appeared next to Elemental Hero - Rosette, only she had long blonde hair and was wearing armor very similar to Bubbleman's, sans cape, but still with a mask over her eyes. There was a bright light as both monsters fused together, leaving behind a blue-caped heroine, clad in Rosette's bright green bodysuit but wearing Bubblegirl's armor pieces and Bubblegun. Her hair had turned a strange mixture of red and blonde, and her free hand held a familiar thorned whip. (2100/ 1800) "Elemental Hero - Rainflower!"

"Her ability lowers the attack power of all non-Elemental Hero monsters by six hundred points, and grants an additional three hundred to all Elemental Heroes. Very nice card, Miriku." said Josiah, flashing her a little grin. "Yeah, that makes her attack power twenty-four hundred, and your Legendary Hero's attack power drops to nine hundred! Now attack, Rainflower, with Mist Cannon!" Miriku shouted to her monster, which happily obliged, releasing a blast of iridescent mist that covered Josiah's monster, effectively eliminating it.

Josiah: 2500

Miriku: 4000

"Heh, that was pretty good. But don't expect her to last you forever… because with what I've got planned, your Elemental Heroes won't stand a chance!"

* * *

Yes, I know, I shouldn't have ended their duel so early, so sue me.

Thanks for your reviews and time, people.


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